


Water & Electricity

by drabblesinthemoonlight



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Tony Stark, Ballet, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, F/F, Female Tony Stark, Killer Coffee Machines, Natasha Romanoff Has Feelings, Natasha Romanov Has Issues, Post-Avengers (2012), awkward Natasha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-15 02:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16924515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drabblesinthemoonlight/pseuds/drabblesinthemoonlight
Summary: From dances to late night conversations, feelings grow.





	1. Dancer's Grace & Fighter's Spirit

When the gang first moved into the tower Toni didn’t account for one thing. Natasha’s interest in ballet.   
  
How had she come across this fact?   
  
A few weeks after they’d all moved in, Toni had been about to open her dance studio’s doors when she began to hear the faint notes of one of her Aunt Peggy’s favourite ballet pieces.   
  
Toni’d been cautious opening the door. She peeked in, eyes barely able to see behind the door when she caught sight of Natasha.   
  
She moved like water and Toni became entranced.   
  
It was like she was six all over again, watching her Aunt demonstrate before Toni’d try to emulate her.   
  
It didn’t take long to notice the knives strapped to Natasha’s thighs, how the blades seemed to disappear with an impossible sleight of the hand before launching them where she’d set up dart boards.   
  
Dancing is one the building blocks to becoming a graceful fighter.   
  
It’d been what felt like hours yet minutes before the song ended, and Natasha made eye contact.   
  
Toni felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment.   
  
“Sorry I didn’t make you your own studio,” Toni starts nervously.   
  
Natasha stares at her, face impassive.   
  
“I just–" she stumbles, "I am not kicking you out in any way! Feel free to use it! But – um.”   
  
“Would you mind if I join you?” Toni finally asked.   
  
She jiggled her arm to emphasize on the duffle hanging from the crook of her elbow. Natasha crooked something of a cross between a smile and a smirk and nods.   
  
Toni set up in a corner and went through her stretches in an anxious rush. Toni never thought that the fluorescent lights could feel so judging.   
  
“You need to widen your stance a bit,” Natasha commented lightly.   
  
Toni nearly jumped a foot from how close Natasha sounded.   
  
It was just the acoustics though.   
  
Yup.   
  
Definitely.   
  
Toni adjusted and after going through her warm-ups at least fifteen times each, finally started to dance.   
  
To the music that she hadn’t noticed until then.   
  
Toni found Natasha just leaving the turntable.   
  
Natasha then took position and began.   
  
They’d already synced up, and Toni let herself flow with it.   
  
Like an electrical current.   
  
~~   
  
Ballet’s been one of the only things that has cleared Toni’s mind for a long time. Ever since she was six and wanted to learn how to fight like she’d seen her Aunt do.   
  
Her Aunt Peggy taught her to do so much during her infrequent visits to the mansion. Taught Toni how to really lie, let people think they’ve won and then get the drop on them. Taught her how to put on a suit of armour before any type of battle.   
  
Any type.   
  
To fight, to dance, so many things.   
  
Toni adored her Aunt with all she could.   
  
That was a big reason why Toni still danced, an even bigger reason than keeping the buzz in her head to an all time low.   
  
So, of course, she’d felt a connection with Natasha over ballet.   
  
Toni knew how much it meant to her, she could see it in her eyes.   
  
In the deliberate movements she’d made.   
  
Whoever had said communication was sixty percent body language was right.   
  
There was pain there, some deep-seated, almost tangible pain.   
  
Yet she danced.   
  
Toni got it. She remembered being twelve, being so pissed at the world and her bloody nose proved it. Her raw fists from the drywall. They’d ached as she’d dressed.   
  
So, it was their thing. An unspoken one, nobody else knew.   
  
Toni thought she liked it that way.


	2. The Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe Natasha’s doing something similar in her mind’s eye as they continue to sit closer and closer together. Night after night. Week after week. Until Toni can smell the metallic scent of wine on Natasha’s breath.
> 
> Then Antonia Evelyn Stark Panics.

Late into the night, lounging on far too plush couches, Toni and Natasha talk in low tones. Bodies cooling after a session in the studio, glasses in hands they let poison flow easily. This is because while their muscles may be loose and their bodies are familiar with each other – a gnarled slip of skin at her hip that a thin shirt doesn’t cover –their minds are not.   
  
Toni doesn’t hold it against Natasha, they both have reasons to be guarded. Still, she can’t help the way her body melts into any bit of body contact.   
  
It’s like a game of twenty questions. Or maybe it’s a labyrinth of right and wrong answers if she wants to get poetic. Toni wouldn’t say she tucks every answer Natasha gives her into her heart but, she could also lie and say she didn’t tuck them into docx to hold onto. It’s not as if she’s the only one. Green eyes are focused and Toni can tell her Itsy Bitsy drinks in everything she says like the wine she sips. Natasha wouldn’t be wrong to do so, Toni may think about how to answer certain questions far too much.   
  
A subtle way of screaming, ‘see me!’ without driving anybody away.   
  
Like clinging to somebody’s attention without any real risk.   
  
Maybe the alcohol is making Toni see things that aren’t there.   
  
Maybe the caustic edge to Natasha’s smirk hasn’t been sandpapered by Toni’s occasional blunder into something softer.   
  
Maybe Natasha isn’t giving herself away.   
  
Answers don’t have to be sincere.   
  
Anyone’s capable of doing it.   
  
Even the shitty politicians on TV.   
  
So, maybe Toni’s being handfed lines that Natasha made for 'Natalie Rushman’ or whoever she’s played Ye face of over the years.   
  
But she doesn’t care.   
  
That’s the scary thing.   
  
Toni clings onto these little pieces Natasha lets slip from her wine-stained lips.   
  
Because she knows any good lie has some truth in it.   
  
She isn’t looking to dissect someone who’s spent all her life putting pieces of herself into different identities, because she knows how it feels.   
  
Toni’s going to collect the scraps and maybe make a mosaic instead. A mosaic which she won’t bind her spider in.   
  
Just something nice to look at and think about.   
  
Maybe Natasha’s doing something similar in her mind’s eye as they continue to sit closer and closer together. Night after night. Week after week. Until Toni can smell the metallic scent of wine on Natasha’s breath.   
  
Then Antonia Evelyn Stark Panics.   
  
Stress engineers in her lab for 72 hours straight kind of panics.   
  
What if Toni’s been taking advantage? She provides all services, food, gadgets. Of course, Nat would feel indebted –   
  
But then Natasha isn’t the type to recompensate like that, Toni’s rational brain fires back.   
  
Then Toni’s been imagining things for sure, who knows how much alcohol they get into and that’s plain irresponsible –   
  
To which national brain points out when has Toni ever been responsible?   
  
It’s a game of ping pong the way Toni mutters back and forth. Pacing all the while.   
  
The bots watch in anticipation from the sidelines, claws clenching and unclenching like someone who balls their fists in a nervous habit.   
  
Toni nearly calls Rhodey.   
  
Which she then realizes is ridiculous.   
  
He’s on a mission.   
  
So instead the coffee machine that Clint’s been complaining about gets a new upgrade.   
  
What type of coffee maker doesn’t also make pancakes?   
  
Toni’s just plugging it in when she remembers the reason she’d been in her lab in the first place.   
  
“Antonia,” Natasha has never called Toni by her nickname despite several complaints.   
  
Toni can’t help liking the way it sounds on her lips though.   
  
That is beside the point!   
  
Toni awkwardly swerves around to face the person of much contention and confusion in her head like a kid whose hand was caught in the cookie jar.   
  
“Hiya Nat,” she squeaks.   
  
Which isn’t the point – and wow Natasha’s lips are pursed not in an amused way but in the I-will-beat-the-answer-out-of-you way.   
  
Which is hot.   
  
But not when it’s directed at Toni.   
  
God, she hasn’t slept in over 72 hours, huh.   
  
“What are you doing?” Natasha basically demands using her characteristic vague use of vocabulary.   
  
Because while Toni knows Natasha knows that Toni knows what she’s talking about Toni is the Queen of Avoiding Feelings.   
  
“Just returning the coffee machine,” Toni replies sweetly.   
  
Natasha’s glare dials up to a three which is far more intimidating than it should be.   
  
“Antonia,” Natasha tries again.   
  
“Natasha,” Toni returns with just as much expectation dripping in her voice.   
  
“Clint,” Toni’s second favourite birdbrain butts in, completely knocking Toni off her game.   
  
He cozies up to the coffee maker as if he belongs there. Which is fairly accurate.   
  
When both of Toni and Natasha’s combined Stare of Expectation bore into him, Clint’s only defense is:   
  
“I wanted to feel included."    
  
Then he shrugs and sprinkles in a "thanks for fixing the machine by the way.”   
  
Toni feels appreciated, but not for long because then Natasha drags her out into a hallway. Very harshly.    
  
“Did Rhodes say something to you?” Natasha asks, her brow furrowing.    
  
But what really catches Toni by surprise is the mention of Rhodey.    
  
“What’s Rhodey got to do with anything?” Toni asks very genuinely even if Natasha assesses her for a quick second.    
  
Whatever Natasha finds she must be satisfied with because she loses the furrow.    
  
“Why’ve you been avoiding me then?” Natasha then hits the pin on the head.    
  
Toni knows she looks suspicious when she ducks her head, but in her defense blushing gives even more away!    
  
“Toni,” Natasha actually says that.   
  
So of course now she has to give away her hand.    
  
“I didn’t want to project my feelings onto you,” Toni mumbles to her shoes.   
  
Then there’s a shuffling noise so Toni looks up. And she has to say Natasha looks gobsmacked.   
  
Which is unsettling but adorable.    
  
“What?” Natasha asks in the most vulnerable tone Toni’s ever heard.   
  
Toni of course deflects.    
  
“What do I gotta do? Write you a note and ask you to put an X over the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to see if you like-like me or not?”    
  
Thing is Toni would actually do that.   
  
And she’s feeling more and more nervous with how wide Natasha’s eyes are getting.    
  
“Yes?” Itsy Bitsy has the gall to sound hopeful.    
  
God, it’s adorable.   
  
“Is that to what you’d X or do I actually need to do that,” she chuckles.    
  
“Both?”    
  
“Oh.”    
  
The unheard end of that sentence is ‘oh my god how could I screw up a confession this badly?’.    
  
Then Clint starts screaming in the kitchen about the coffee machine launching his coffee at him (which she knows hasn’t actually hit him or else he’d be mourning the coffee). So she might have crossed a few wires, Clint would forgive her.    
  
Of course, that becomes background jargon as soon as Toni notices how Natasha’s face is as red as her hair. Then Toni gets blind sighted by one hell of a kiss so she can’t appreciate that!    
  
Next thing Toni knows Natasha is actually the one who has panicked this time because with far less grace than usual she hefts herself into the nearest vent.    
  
Toni would go after her but she is unfortunately short. She still shouts into the vent:    
  
“Are we together now?”    
  
She hears something bang in the vent (probably a thigh, ouch) but she’ll take that as a yes.


End file.
